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From July 30 to August 1, 2023, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), with support from the National Science Foundation, gathered over 60 faculty, educational researchers, graduate students, professional society representatives, administrators, and others interested to discuss the current state of undergraduate STEM education’s classroom practices and to imagine its future. The foundation for the event was the 2019 report Levers for Change, which focused on six disciplines within STEM: life sciences, chemistry and biochemistry, engineering and computer science, geosciences, mathematical sciences and statistics, and physics and astronomy. The organizers asked the participants to identify existing barriers that inhibit the broad uptake and adoption of evidence-based teaching practices across the country, and this edition, Levers for Change 2023: Enacting a National Agenda for Undergraduate STEM Education, provides recommendations to support educational reforms nationwide.
Over the course of the two days, the participants, who represented a breadth of institutional types and careers stages, had the following goals:
- build individual connections and recognize the depth and breadth of expertise in the room
- facilitate engagement with national trends and challenges
- dive into discipline-specific barriers, challenges, and opportunities
- synthesize themes across disciplines
- look ahead to potential actions by specific stakeholder groups.
The resulting report is a synthesis of the large-group discussions and small-group breakout sessions facilitated by the organizers, as well as the posters, notes, and other materials generated by the participants. In the end, the participants included a key takeaway: “This report, much like the workshop it describes, argues that all colleges that serve undergraduates should value and support diversity, equity, and excellence for instructors and students alike, and should aim to be inclusive on their campuses.”
Identifying Barriers to Systemic Change
Overall, while challenges vary by discipline and within discipline, participants identified key themes that resonated for some fields more than others. In computer science, engineering, and chemistry, “weed out” culture remains a type of gatekeeping which prevents students from advancing in STEM courses rather than promoting skill and knowledge building. Outdated pedagogy in the life sciences, the type that feels disconnected from real-world application, can feel alienating to students. For the geosciences, limited exposure in K-12 classrooms for some disciplines can contribute to difficulties in recruiting students at the undergraduate level. In mathematics, physics, and astronomy, long-held beliefs about who can succeed in STEM courses can inhibit growth, particularly for women and students from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds.
In terms of cross-disciplinary challenges, the participants described the systemic barriers that prohibit instructors from advancing their own instructional skills as a major obstacle. The group also called out the broader culture and history of STEM fields, which include the legacies of colonialism and racism, as an impediment that requires instructors to embed equity and social justice in curricula intentionally. Finally, the participants discussed how the building block model of coursework, one that fails to map concepts across disciplines, as a factor that makes STEM feel detached and siloed.
Enacting a National Agenda
The participants of the workshop knew that identifying barriers and challenges was only part of their charge, as the discussions in the latter part of the two days turned to the topic of solutions and creating change. First, the participants noted that colleges and universities need to invest in reflection of their own history, mission, and values as well as an interrogation of their current STEM programs, tenure and advancement models, and overall culture and climate. State, regional, and national associations and foundations can provide aid this work on campuses through providing additional support in organizing, funding, and sharing other resources.
In terms of recommendations, the participants encourage colleges and universities to build networks in their local and regional communities, including chapters of professional societies, to share resources. As described by Noah Finkelstein, one of the workshop organizers:
One among the many productive outcomes from the Levers for Change 2023 gathering was the formation of a community — a community of diverse scholars working across the span of STEM education disciplines and approaches to engage in the common enterprise of advancing our national capacity to support all learners. In addition to identifying challenges and opportunities, sorting out levers for change and contributing to the national agenda, we were inspired — by each other, the opportunities, and the capacities that we all have to make a difference.
The participants also called for the expansion of professional development for STEM instructors to encourage the use of evidence-based practices and the adoption of advancement practices that reward effective teaching. Updating the curricula of STEM courses was another recommendation, with the aim to connect content to real-world applications and inclusive examples from the communities where students come from. Reimagining student achievement and assessments was another recommendation, including additional research on how to measure equity in classrooms. The final recommendation from the participants came in the form of broad communication of results, promising practices, and lessons learned to the communities of interest that stand to benefit from the hard work and research happening in STEM courses across the country.
Working on a More Equitable Future for All
At the end of the Levers for Change 2023 report, there is a return to the North Star guiding much of the work that happens in the Inclusive STEMM Ecosystems for Equity and Diversity work, “for the nation to grow and achieve its social and economic potential, it cannot allow any student with a commitment to STEM learning to be left behind.” Colleges and universities have a calling to support STEM instructors in developing inclusive classrooms where students can explore their curiosities and thrive academically. As the participants noted in conclusion, “Change is never easy, but maintaining the status quo is not an option. All colleges, regardless of their size or location, should have the vision, the campuswide commitment, and the resources they need for all of their STEM instructors and students to succeed.”
We hope that you have the chance to explore the report and share your thoughts with us. Please feel free to reach out to Layne Scherer, program director, at LScherer@aaas.org with any questions or comments.
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